Quran and Modern Science (2010 edition)

8/4/2019 Quran and Modern Science (2010 edition)

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THE QURAAN

ANDMODERN SCIENCECO M PATIBLE O R INCOM PATIBLE?

By

Dr. ZAKIR NAIK

ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION


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NO COPYRIGHTS

We grant you an open license to reproduce or translate this booklet as well as every otherpublication of ours. You may publish them for sale or for free distribution without any prior

permission. We ask for no royalties or copyrights.

To make good quality reprint, you may contact us to obtain free copies of computer print filesof this book. It will be appreciated if a few copies of the reproduction are posted to us for ourrecords.

1st print March 2000

EDITED SEPTEMBER 2010


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CONTENTS

1. Introduction....04

2. The Challenge of the Quraan ...05

3. Astronomy 06

4. Physics ..............................10

5. Geology .......11

6. Oceanology .....13

7. Zoology.....17

8. Embryology .....18

9. General Science .24

10. Conclusion .....25


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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

INTRODUCTION

Ever since the dawn of human life on this planet, Man has always sought to understand Nature,his own place in the scheme of Creation and the purpose of Life itself. In this quest for Truth,spanning many centuries and diverse civilizations, organized religion has shaped human life anddetermined to a large extent, the course of history. While some religions have been based onbooks, claimed by their adherents to be divinely inspired, others have relied solely on humanexperience.

Al-Quran, the main source of the Islamic faith, is a book believed by Muslims, to be ofcompletely Divine origin. Muslims also believe that it contains guidance for all mankind. Since themessage of the Quran is believed to be for all times, it should be relevant to every age. Does theQuran pass this test? In this booklet, I intend to give an objective analysis of the Muslim beliefregarding the Divine origin of the Qur'an, in the light of established scientific discoveries.

There was a time, in the history of world civilization, when miracles, or what was perceived to bea miracle, took precedence over human reason and logic. But how do we define the termmiracle? A miracle is anything that takes place out of the normal course of life and for whichhumankind has no explanation. However, we must be careful before we accept something as amiracle. An article in The Times of India Mumbai, in 1993 reported that a saint by the nameBaba Pilot claimed to have stayed continuously submerged under water in a tank for threeconsecutive days and nights. However, when reporters wanted to examine the base of the tankof water where he claimed to have performed this miraculous feat, he refused to let them do so.He argued by asking as to how one could examine the womb of a mother that gives birth to achild. The Baba was hiding something. It was a gimmick simply to gain publicity. Surely, nomodern man with even the slightest inkling towards rational thinking would accept such a

miracle. If such false miracles are the tests of divinity, then we would have to accept Mr. P. C.Sorcar, the world famous magician known for his ingenious magical tricks and illusions, as thebest God-man.

A book, claiming Divine origin, is in effect, claiming to be a miracle. Such a claim should be easilyverifiable in any age, according to the standards of that age. Muslims believe, that the Qur'an isthe last and final revelation of God, the miracle of miracles revealed as a mercy to mankind. Letus therefore investigate the veracity of this belief.


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THE CHALLENGE OF THE QURAN

Literature and poetry have been instruments of human expression and creativity, in all cultures.The world also witnessed an age when literature and poetry occupied pride of position, similar tothat now enjoyed by science and technology.

Muslims as well as non-Muslims agree that Al-Quran is Arabic literature par excellence - that it isthe best Arabic literature on the face of the earth. Those who doubt in Quran being a revelationsent by Allah s.w.t, to them Allah s.w.t. challenges in the following verses:

And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'an) to Ourslave (Muhammad Peace be upon him ), then produce a Surah(chapter) of the like thereofand call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful.

But if you do it not, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men andstones, prepared for the disbelievers.[Al-Quran 2:23-34] *

The same notation is followed throughout the book.

The challenge of the Quran, is to produce a single Surah(chapter) like the Surahsit contains.The same challenge is repeated in the Quran several times. The challenge to produce a Surah,which, in beauty, eloquence, depth and meaning is at least somewhat similar to a Quranic Surahremains unmet to this day.

Today we live in an age, where human reason, logic and science are given primacy and notmany would accept the Quran s extraordinarily beautiful language, as proof of its Divine origin.Any scripture claiming to be a divine revelation must also be acceptable on the strength of itsown reason and logic.

According to the famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, Science withoutreligion is lame. Religion without science is blind. Let us therefore study the Quran, and analyzewhether The Quran and Modern Science are compatible or incompatible?

The Quran is not a book of science but a book of signs, i.e. ayats. There are more than sixthousand signs in the Quran of which more than a thousand deal with science.

We all know that many a times Science takes a U-turn. In this book I have considered onlyestablished scientific facts and not mere hypotheses and theories that are based on assumptionsand are not backed by proof.

*Al-Quran 2:23-24 indicates Surah (Chapter) No. 2 and Ayat (Verses) 23 and 24. References andtranslation of the Quran are from the translation of the Quran by Dr. Mohammed Taqi-ud-din Al-Hilaliand Ph.D. & Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and from the translation of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali,new revised edition, 1989, published by Amana Corporation, Maryland, USA.

Also you can verify the translation of the Quran by visiting the following link-

http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp


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ASTRONOMY

CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: THE BIG BANG

The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon,popularly known as the Big Bang. It is supported by observational and experimental datagathered by astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. According to the Big Bang, the wholeuniverse was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a Big Bang (SecondarySeparation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form stars,planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of itoccurring by chance is zero. The Quran contains the following verse, regarding the origin of theuniverse:

Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as oneUnit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?[Al-Quran 21:30]

The striking congruence between the Quranic verse and the Big Bang is inescapable! Howcould a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 years ago, contain this profoundscientific truth?

THERE WAS AN INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE THE CREATION OF GALAXIES

Scientists say that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initiallyin the form of gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before theformation of the galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word smoke is moreappropriate than gas. The following Quranic verse refers to this state of the universe by the worddhukhanwhich means smoke.

Then He Istawa(rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and tothe earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both said: "We come,willingly."[Al-Quran 41:11]

Again, this fact is a corollary to the Big Bang and was not known to the Arabs during the time ofProphet Muhammad (pbuh). What then, could have been the source of this knowledge?


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THE SUN ROTATES

For a long time European philosophers and scientists believed that the earth stood still in thecentre of the universe and every other body including the sun moved around it. In the West, thisgeocentric concept of the universe was prevalent right from the time of Ptolemy in the secondcentury B.C. In 1512, Nicholas Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of PlanetaryMotion, which asserted that the sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system with theplanets revolving around it.In 1609, the German scientist Yohannus Keppler published the Astronomia Nova. In this heconcluded that not only do the planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun, they also rotateupon their axes at irregular speeds. With this knowledge it became possible for Europeanscientists to explain correctly many of the mechanisms of the solar system including thesequence of night and day.After these discoveries, it was thought that the Sun was stationary and did not rotate about itsaxis like the Earth. I remember having studied this fallacy from Geography books during myschool days. Consider the following Quranic verse:

It is He Who created The Night and the Day, And the sun and the moon: All (the celestialbodies) Swim along, each in its Rounded course.[Al-Quran 21:33]

The Arabic word used in the above verse is yasbahn. The word yasbahnis derived from theword sabaha. It carries with it the idea of motion that comes from any moving body. If you usethe word for a man on the ground, it would not mean that he is rolling but would mean he iswalking or running. If you use the word for a man in water it would not mean that he is floatingbut would mean that he is swimming.Similarly, if you use the word yasbahfor a celestial body such as the sun it would not mean that itis only flying through space but would mean that it is also rotating as it goes through space. Mostof the school textbooks have incorporated the fact that the sun rotates about its axis. The rotation

of the sun about its own axis can be proved with the help of an equipment that projects the imageof the sun on the table top so that one can examine the image of the sun without being blinded. Itis noticed that the sun has spots which complete a circular motion once every 25 days i.e. thesun takes approximately 25 days to rotate around its axis.In fact, the sun travels through space at roughly 150 miles per second, and takes about 200million years to complete one revolution around the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.

It is not permitted To the Sun to catch up The Moon, nor can The Night outstrip the Day:Each (just) swims along In (its own) orbit (According to Law).[Al-Quran 36:40]

This verse mentions an essential fact discovered by modern astronomy, i.e. the existence of theindividual orbits of the Sun and the Moon, and their journey through space with their own motion.The fixed place towards, which the sun travels, carrying with it the solar system, has beenlocated exactly by modern astronomy. It has been given a name, the Solar Apex. The solarsystem is indeed moving in space towards a point situated in the constellation of Hercules (alphaLayer) whose exact location is firmly established.The moon rotates around its axis in the same duration that it takes to revolve around the earth. Ittakes approximately 29 days to complete one rotation. One cannot help but be amazed at thescientific accuracy of the Quran verses.


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THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH AFTER A CERTAIN PERIOD

The light of the sun is due to a chemical process on its surface that has been taking placecontinuously for the past five billion years. It will come to an end at some point of time in thefuture when the sun will be totally extinguished leading to extinction of all life on earth. Regardingthe impermanence of the suns existence Allah s.w.t. says in the Quran:

See you not (O Muhammad peace be upon him) that Allah merges the night into the day(i.e. the decrease in the hours of the night are added in the hours of the day), and mergesthe day into the night (i.e. the decrease in the hours of day are added in the hours ofnight), and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course for a termappointed; and that Allah is All-Aware of what you do.[Al-Quran 31:29]

And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.[Al-Quran 36-38]

The Arabic word used here is mustaqarr, which means a place or time that is determined. Thusthe Quran says that the sun runs towards a determined place, and will do so only up to a pre-determined period of time meaning that it will end or extinguish.A similar message is conveyed in the Quran in 13:2, 35:13, 39:5 and 39:21.

THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE

In 1925, an American astronomer by the name of Edwin Hubble, provided observationalevidence that all galaxies are receding from one another, which implies that the universe isexpanding. The expansion of the universe is now an established scientific fact.This is what Allah s.w.t. says about the universe in the Quran:

With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend the vastness ofspace thereof.[Al-Quran 52:47]

The Arabic word msinis correctly translated as expanding it, and it refers to the creation ofthe expanding vastness of the universe. Stephen Hawking, in his book, A Brief History of Time,says, The discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutionsof the 20th century.

The Quran mentioned the expansion of the universe, before man even learnt to build atelescope! Some may say that the presence of astronomical facts in the Quran is not surprising


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since the Arabs were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are correct in acknowledging theadvancement of the Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail to realize that the Quranwas revealed centuries before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover many of the scientificfacts mentioned above regarding astronomy, such as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang,were not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their scientific advancement. The scientific factsmentioned in the Quran are therefore not due to the Arabs advancement in astronomy. Indeed,the reverse is true. The Arabs advanced in astronomy, because astronomy occupies a place inthe Quran.


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PHYSICS

THE EXISTENCE OF SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

The concept of the atom originated round 440 BC. Leucippus of Miletus came up with the idea.He and his pupil, Democritus refined and extended the idea in the years after. Almost all of theoriginal writings of Leucippus and Democritus are lost. About the only sources we have for theiratomistic ideas are found in quotations of other writers.

Leucippus and Democritus reasoned that all matter is composed of atoms, which are bits ofmatter too small to be seen. These atoms CANNOT be further split into smaller portions.Leucippus and Democritus theorized that splitting stops when it reaches indivisible particles anddoes not go on infinitely. This was their theory, and the name "atom" originates from this.

In other words, there is a lower limit to the division of matter beyond which we cannot go. Atomswere impenetrably hard, meaning they could not be divided. In Greek, the prefix "a" means "not"and the word "tomos" means cut. The word atom therefore comes from atomos, a Greek word

meaning uncuttable.

The atomic theory was however, roundly rejected by Aristotle, and no further developmentseems to be done on it for the next two millennia.

The Arabs were aware about this theory. The Arabic word dharratinmeans an atom. With theadvancement of science in the 20th Century, atom ceases to exist as the smallest particle. Thereare quantum particles that are much smaller than the atom, besides even the atom itself can nowbe further split. Fourteen centuries ago this concept would have appeared unusual even to anArab. For him the dharrahwas the limit beyond which one could not go.The following Quranic verse however, refuses to acknowledge this limit:

The Unbelievers say, Never to us will come The Hour: say, Nay! But most surely, By myLord, it will come Upon you by Him Who knows the unseen From Whom is not hiddenThe least little atom In the Heavens or on earth: Nor is there anything less Than that, orgreater, but Is in the Record Perspicuous.[Al-Quran 34:3]

A similar message is conveyed in the Quran in 10:61.

This verse refers to the Omniscience of God, His knowledge of all things, hidden or apparent. Itthen goes further and says that God is aware of everything, including what is smaller than theatom or bigger than it. Thus the verse clearly shows that something smaller than the atom doesexists.


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GEOLOGY

MOUNTAINS STANDING FIRM

The surface of the earth is broken into many rigid plates that are about 100 km in thickness.These plates float on a partially molten region called aesthenosphere. Mountain formations occurat the boundary of the plates. The earths crust is 5 km thick below oceans, about 35 km thickbelow flat continental surfaces and almost 80 km thick below great mountain ranges. These arethe strong foundations on which mountains stand.The following is the verse of the Quran that speaks about the strong mountain foundations:

And the mountains He has fixed firmly;[Qur'an 79:32]

MOUNTAINS LIKE PEGS (STAKES)

Compressional forces in continental collisions may cause the compressed region to thicken, so the upper surface is forced

upward. To balance the weight of the earth surface, much of the compressed rock is forced downward, producing deep

"mountain roots" [see the Book of "Earth", by Press and Siever page.413]. Mountains therefore form downward as well as

upward (see isostasy).

In Geology, the phenomenon of folding is a recently discovered fact. Folding is responsible forthe formation of mountain ranges. The earths crust, on which we live, is like a solid shell, whilethe deeper layers are hot and fluid, and thus inhospitable to any form of life. It is also known thatthe stability of the mountains is linked to the phenomenon of folding, for it was the folds that wereto provide foundations for the reliefs that constitute the mountains. Geologists tell us that the

radius of the Earth is about 3,750 miles and the crust on which we live is very thin, rangingbetween 1 to 30 miles. Since the crust is thin, it has a high possibility of shaking. Mountains actlike stakes or tent pegs that hold the earths crust and give it stability.Allah s.w.t. tells us in the following verse how He had made the mountains as pegs.

Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?[Quran 78:6-7]


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The word awtadmeans stakes or pegs (like those used to anchor a tent); they are the deepfoundations of geological folds. A book named Earth is considered as a basic referencetextbook on geology in many universities around the world. One of the authors of this book isFrank Press, who was the President of the Academy of Sciences in the USA for 12 years andwas the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter. In this book he illustrates themountain in a wedge-shape and the mountain itself as a small part of the whole, whose root isdeeply entrenched in the ground.* According to Dr. Press, the mountains play an important rolein stabilizing the crust of the earth.

Following are the verses of the Qur'an regarding mountains...

And He has affixed into the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you,and rivers and roads, that you may guide yourselves.[Qur'an 16:15]

And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with them...

[Qur'an 21:31]

He has created the heavens without any pillars, that you see and has set on the earth firmmountains, lest it should shake with you. And He has scattered therein moving (living)creatures of all kinds. And We send down water (rain) from the sky, and We cause (plants)of every goodly kind to grow therein.[Qur'an 31:10]

And at the mountains, how they are rooted and fixed firm?[Qur'an 88:19]]

* Earth, Press and Siever, page 435. Also see Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, page 157.


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OCEANOLOGY

BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT WATERS

Consider the following Quranic verses:

He has let loosed the two seas meeting together.Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress.[Qur'an 55:19-20]

In the Arabic text the word barzakhmeans a barrier or a partition. This barrier is not a physicalpartition. The Arabic word marajaliterally means they both meet and mix with each other. Earlycommentators of the Quran were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the twobodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time, there is a barrier between them.Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is abarrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its owntemperature, salinity and density.* Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this

verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier between the two seas through which water fromone sea passes to the other.But when the water from one sea enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic andbecomes homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a transitionalhomogenizing area for the two waters. This scientific phenomenon mentioned in the Quran wasalso confirmed by Dr. William Hay who is a well-known marine scientist and Professor ofGeological Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A. This phenomenon also mentioned inthe Qur'an in the following verse:

Is not He who has made the earth as a firm abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, andhas placed firm mountains therein, and has set a barrier between the two seas. Is thereany ilah(god) with Allah? Nay, but most of them know not.[Qur'an 27:62]

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including the divider between the Mediterranean andthe Atlantic Ocean at Gibraltar.

_______________________________________________________________________________

*Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.


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But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions theexistence of a forbidding partition with the barrier.

And it is He Who has let free the two seas (kinds of water), one palatable and sweet, andthe other salt and bitter, and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.[Qur'an 25:53]

Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and saltwater meet, thesituation is somewhat different from that found in places where two seas meet. It has beendiscovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a pycnocline zonewith a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.** This partition (zone ofseparation) has salinity different from both the fresh water and the salt water.***

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt, where the river Nile flows into theMediterranean Sea.

**Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.***Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp.300-301.


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DARKNESS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN

Prof. Durga Rao is an expert in the field of Marine Geology and was a professor at King AbdulAziz University in Jeddah. He was asked to comment on the following verse:

Or [the state of a disbeliever] is like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with agreat wave topped by a great wave, topped by dark clouds, darkness, one above another,if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! And he for whom Allah has notappointed light, for him there is no light.[Qur'an 24:40]

Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been able to confirm, with the help of modernequipment that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean. Humans are unable to dive unaidedunderwater for more than 20 to 30 meters, and cannot survive in the deep oceanic regions at adepth of more than 200 meters. This verse does not refer to all seas because not every sea canbe described as having accumulated darkness layered one over another. It refers especially to a

deep sea or deep ocean, as the Quran says, darkness in a vast deep sea. This layereddarkness in a deep sea is the result of two causes:

The first is:A light ray is composed of seven colours. These seven colours are Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green,Yellow, Orange and Red (VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes refraction when it hits water. Theupper 10 to 15 metres of water absorb the red colour. Therefore if a diver is 25 metres underwater and gets wounded, he would not be able to see the red colour of his blood, because thered colour does not reach this depth. Similarly orange rays are absorbed at 30 to 50 metres,yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200 metres, and finally, blue beyond 200 metres andviolet and indigo above 200 metres. Due to successive disappearance of colour, one layer afteranother, the ocean progressively becomes darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of light.

Below a depth of 1000 meters there is complete darkness. [Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, page27.]


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And another cause is:The suns rays are absorbed by clouds, which in turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer ofdarkness under the clouds. This is the first layer of darkness. When light rays reach the surfaceof the ocean they are reflected by the wave surface giving it a shiny appearance. Therefore it isthe waves which reflect light and cause darkness. The unreflected light penetrates into thedepths of the ocean. Therefore the ocean has two parts. The surface characterized by light andwarmth and the depth characterized by darkness. The surface is further separated from the deeppart of the ocean by waves. The internal waves* cover the deep waters of seas and oceansbecause the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. The darknessbegins below the internal waves. Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot see; their onlysource of light is from their own bodies.

The Quran rightly mentions:...darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with a great wave topped by a great wave...

In other words, above these waves there are more types of waves, i.e. those found on thesurface of the ocean.

Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, 1400 years ago a normal human being could not explainthis phenomenon in so much detail. Thus the information must have come from a supernaturalsource.

* The internal waves occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities. [Oceanography,Gross, page. 205.]. The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep watershave a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break,

just like surface waves. Also see Oceanography, Chris Garrett.


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ZOOLOGY

THE BEEVon-Frisch received the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his research on the behavior and communicationof the bees. The bee, after discovering any new garden or flower, goes back and tells its fellowbees the exact direction and map to get there, which is known as bee dance. The meanings ofthis insects movements that are intended to transmit information between worker bees havebeen discovered scientifically using photography and other methods. The Quran mentions in thefollowing verse how the bee follows the routes that Lord has made easy for them.

And your Lord inspired the bees, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and inthe trees and in what they erect."Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the routes that your Lord made smooth (for you).'' Therecomes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colors, in which there is a cure for men.There is indeed a sign in that for people who reflect.[Quran 16:68-69]

The worker bee or the soldier bee is a female bee. In Surah Al-Nahl(The Bees) chapter no. 16,verses 68 and 69 the gender used for the bee is the female gender (kul and fasluk in Arabic is

used for the feminine gender)*, indicating that the bee that leaves its home for gathering food is afemale bee. In other words the soldier or worker bee is a female bee. In fact, in Shakespearesplay, Henry the Fourth, some of the characters speak about bees and mention that the beesare soldiers and that they have a king. That is what people thought in Shakespearean times.They thought that the worker bees are male bees and they go home and are answerable to aking bee. This, however, is not true. The worker bees are females and they do not report to aking bee but to a queen bee. But it took modern investigations in the last 300 years to discoverthis.

HONEY HAS HEALING PROPERTIESThe bee assimilates juices of various kinds of flowers and fruit and forms within its body thehoney, which it stores in its cells of wax. Only about 200 years ago man came to know thathoney comes from the belly of the bee. This fact was mentioned in the Quran 1,400 years ago inthe following verse:

...There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colors, in which there is a curefor men....[Quran 16:69]

We are now aware that honey has a healing property and also a mild antiseptic property. The

Russians used honey to cover their wounds in World War II. The wound would retain moistureand would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the density of honey, no fungus or bacteria wouldgrow in the wound. A person suffering from an allergy of a particular plant may be given honeyfrom that plant so that the person develops resistance to that allergy. Honey is rich in fructoseand vitamin K. Thus the knowledge contained in the Quran regarding honey, its origin andproperties, was far ahead of the time it was revealed.

___________________________________________________________________* http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=16&verse=69


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EMBRYOLOGY

A few years ago a group of Arabs collected all information concerning embryology from theQuran. All the information from the Quran so gathered, was translated into English andpresented to Prof. (Dr.) Keith Moore, who was the Professor of Embryology and Chairman of theDepartment of Anatomy at the University of Toronto, in Canada. At present he is one of thehighest authorities in the field of Embryology. He was asked to give his opinion regarding theinformation present in the Quran concerning the field of embryology. After carefully examiningthe translation of the Quranic verses presented to him, Dr. Moore said that most of theinformation concerning embryology mentioned in the Quran is in perfect conformity with moderndiscoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way. He added thatthere were however a few verses, on whose scientific accuracy he could not comment. He couldnot say whether the statements were true or false, since he himself was not aware of theinformation contained therein.There was also no mention of this information in modern writings and studies on embryology.One such verse is:

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood).[Quran 96:1-2]

The word alaqbesides meaning a congealed clot of blood also means something that clings, aleech-like substance. Dr. Keith Moore had no knowledge whether an embryo in the initial stagesappears like a leech. To check this out he studied the initial stage of the embryo under a verypowerful microscope in his laboratory and compared what he observed with a diagram of a leechand he was astonished at the striking resemblance between the two!In the same manner, he acquired more information on embryology that was hitherto not known tohim, from the Quran. Dr. Keith Moore answered about eighty questions dealing withembryological data mentioned in the Quran and Hadith. Noting that the information contained in

the Quran and Hadith was in full agreement with the latest discoveries in the field of embryology,Prof. Moore said, If I was asked these questions thirty years ago, I would not have been able toanswer half of them for lack of scientific information


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Dr. Keith Moore had earlier authored the book, The Developing Human. After acquiring newknowledge from the Quran, he wrote, in 1982, the 3rd edition of the same book, The DevelopingHuman. The book was the recipient of an award for the best medical book written by a singleauthor. This book has been translated into several major languages of the world and is used as atextbook of embryology in the first year of medical studies.

In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Moore said, Ithas been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about humandevelopment. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God orAllah, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. Thisproves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God or Allah. (The video of thisstatement is available on youtube.)

Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at theBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, U.S.A., proclaims: ...these Hadiths, sayings of Muhammad(pbuh) could not have been obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was availableat the time of the writer (7th century). It follows that not only is there no conflict between genetics

and religion (Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) may guide science by adding revelation to some ofthe traditional scientific approaches there exist statements in the Quran shown centuries laterto be valid which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived from God.

MAN CREATED FROM A DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE BACK BONE AND THERIBS

So let man see from what he is created!He is created from a water gushing forthProceeding from between the back-bone and the ribs.

[Quran 86:5-7]

In embryonic stages, the reproductive organs of the male and female, i.e. the testicles and theovaries, begin their development near the kidney between the spinal column and the eleventhand twelfth ribs. Later they descend; the female gonads (ovaries) stop in the pelvis while themale gonads (testicles) continue their descent before birth to reach the scrotum through theinguinal canal. Even in the adult after the descent of the reproductive organ, these organsreceive their nerve supply and blood supply from the Abdominal Aorta, which is in the areabetween the backbone (spinal column) and the ribs. Even the lymphatic drainage and the venousreturn goes to the same area.

HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM NUTFAH(Minute Quantity of Liquid)The Glorious Quran mentions no less than eleven times that the human being is created fromnutfah, which means a minute quantity of liquid or a trickle of liquid which remains after emptyinga cup. This is mentioned in several verses of the Quran including 22:5 and 23:13. The same isalso mentioned in the Quran in 16:4, 18:37, 35:11, 36:77, 40:67,53:46, 75:37, 76:2 and 80:19.


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Science has confirmed in recent times that only one out of an average of three million sperms isrequired for fertilising the ovum. This means that only a 1/three millionth part or 0.00003% of thequantity of sperms that are emitted is required for fertilisation.

HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM SULALAH(Quintessence of liquid)

And made his progeny From a quintessence Of the nature of A fluid despised.[Quraan 32:8]

The Arabic word sullahmeans quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to knownow that only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, outof the several millions produced by man. That one spermatozoon out of several millions, isreferred to in the Quran as sullah. Sullahalso means gentle extraction from a fluid. The fluidrefers to both male and female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both ovum and sperm aregently extracted from their environments in the process of fertilization.

FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS OF DARKNESS

...He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation in three veils ofdarkness, such is Allah your Lord. His is the kingdom, La ilaha illa Huwa(none has theright to be worshipped but He). How then are you turned away?[Quran 39-6]

According to Prof. Keith Moore these three veils of darkness in the Quran refer to:(i) anterior abdominal wall of the mother(ii) the uterine wall

(iii) the amnio-chorionic membrane.

EMBRYONIC STAGES

And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth).Thereafter We made him (the offspring of Adam) as a Nutfah(mixed drops of the male andfemale sexual discharge) (and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman).Then We made the Nutfahinto a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We madethe clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, thenWe clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So

blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.[Quraan 23:12-14]

In this verse Allah s.w.t. states that man is created from a small quantity of liquid which is placedin a place of rest, firmly fixed (well established or lodged) for which the Arabic word qarrinmaknis used.The uterus is well protected from the posterior by the spinal column supported firmly by the backmuscles. The embryo is further protected by the amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid. Thusthe foetus has a well protected dwelling place. This small quantity of fluid is made into alaqah,


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meaning something which clings. It also means a leech-like substance. Both the descriptions arescientifically acceptable as in the very early stages the foetus clings to the wall and also appearsto resemble the leech in shape. It also behaves like a leech (blood sucker) and acquires its bloodsupply from the mother through the placenta. The third meaning of the word alaqahis a bloodclot. During this alaqahstage, which spans the third and fourth week of pregnancy, the bloodclots within closed vessels. Hence the embryo acquires the appearance of a blood clot inaddition to acquiring the appearance of a leech.

[In 1677, Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells(spermatozoa) using a microscope. They thought that a sperm cell contained a miniature humanbeing which grew in the uterus to form a newborn. This was known as the perforation theory.When scientists discovered that the ovum was bigger in size than the sperm, it was thought byDe Graf and others that the foetus existed in a miniature form in the ovum. Later, in the 18thcentury Maupertuis propagated the theory of biparental inheritance.]

Then the alaqahis transformed into mudghahwhich means something that is chewed (havingteeth marks) and also something that is tacky and small which can be put in the mouth like gum.

Both these explanations are scientifically correct. Prof. Keith Moore took a piece of plaster sealand made it into the size and shape of the early stage of foetus and chewed it between the teethto make it into a Mudgha. He compared this with the photographs of the early stage of foetus.The teeth marks resembled the somites which is the early formation of the spinal column.

This mudghahis transformed into bones (izm). The bones are clothed with intact flesh ormuscles (lahm). Then Allah makes it into another creature.

EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND PARTLY UNFORMEDAt the mugdhahstage, if an incision is made in the embryo and the internal organ is dissected, itwill be seen that most of them are formed while the others are not yet completely formed.According to Prof. Johnson, if we describe the embryo as a complete creation, then we are onlydescribing that part which is already created. If we describe it as an incomplete creation, then weare only describing that part which is not yet created. So, is it a complete creation or anincomplete creation? There is no better description of this stage of embryogenesis than theQuranic description, partly formed and partly unformed, as in the following verse:


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O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily! We have created you(i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah(mixed drops of male and female sexualdischarge), then from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump offlesh, some formed and some unformed, that We may make (it) clear to you. And Wecause whom We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term, then We bring you outas infants, then (give you growth) that you may reach your age of full strength. Andamong you there is he who dies, and among you there is he who is brought back to themiserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. And you see the earthbarren, but when We send down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells and putsforth every lovely kind (of growth).[Quran 22:5]

Scientifically we know that at this early stage of development there are some cells which aredifferentiated and there are some cells that are undifferentiated some organs are formed andyet others unformed.

Prof. Marshall Johnson is one of the leading scientists in US, and is the head of the Departmentof Anatomy and Director of the Daniel Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphiain US. He was asked to comment on the verses of the Quran dealing with embryology. He saidthat the verses of the Quran describing the embryological stages cannot be a coincidence. Hesaid it was probable that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful microscope. On being reminded thatthe Quran was revealed 1400 years ago, and microscopes were invented centuries after thetime of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Prof. Johnson laughed and admitted that the firstmicroscope invented could not magnify more than 10 times and could not show a clear picture.Later he said: I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that Divine intervention wasinvolved when Muhammad (pbuh) recited the Quran.

According to Dr. Keith Moore, the modern classification of embryonic development stages whichis adopted throughout the world, is not easily comprehensible, since it identifies stages on anumerical basis i.e. stage I, stage II, etc. The divisions revealed in the Quran are based ondistinct and easily identifiable forms or shapes, which the embryo passes through. These arebased on different phases of prenatal development and provide elegant scientific descriptionsthat are comprehensible and practical.

Similar Verses regarding the creation of humans:

O man! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Most Generous?

Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion;In whatever form He willed, He put you together.Nay! But you deny the Recompense (reward for good deeds and punishment for evildeeds).[Quran 82:6-9]


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SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT

The first sense to develop in a developing human embryo is hearing. The foetus can hear soundsafter the 24th week. Subsequently, the sense of sight is developed and by the 28th week, theretina becomes sensitive to light.

Consider the following Quranic verses related to the development of the senses in the embryo:

...He gave you hearing, sight and hearts...[Quran 32:9]

Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned?Verily, We have created man from Nutfahdrops of mixed semen (discharge of man andwoman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer, seer.[Quran 76:1-2]

It is He, Who has created for you hearing, sight, and hearts (understanding). Little thanks

you give.[Quran 23:80]

In all these verses the sense of hearing is mentioned before that of sight. Thus the Quraanicdescription matches with the discoveries in modern embryology.


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GENERAL SCIENCE

FINGERPRINTS

Does man (a disbeliever) think that We shall not assemble his bones?Yes, We are Able to put together in perfect order the tips of his fingers.Nay! (Man denies Resurrection and Reckoning. So) he desires to continue committingsins.[Quran 75 :3-5]

Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking place after bones of dead people havedisintegrated in the earth and how each individual would be identified on the Day of Judgement.Almighty Allah answers that He can not only assemble our bones but can also reconstructperfectly our very fingertips.

Why does the Quran, while speaking about determination of the identity of the individual, speakspecifically about fingertips? In 1880, fingerprinting became the scientific method of identification,

after research done by Sir Francis Golt. No two persons in the world can ever have exactly thesame fingerprint pattern. That is the reason why police forces worldwide use fingerprints toidentify the criminal. 1400 years ago, who could have known the uniqueness of each humansfingerprint? Surely it could have been none other than the Creator Himself!

PAIN RECEPTORS PRESENT IN THE SKIN

It was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was only dependent on the brain. Recentdiscoveries prove that there are pain receptors present in the skin without which a person wouldnot be able to feel pain. When a doctor examines a patient suffering from burn injuries, heverifies the degree of burns by a pricking the patient with a pin. If the patient feels pain, thedoctor is happy, because it indicates that the burns are superficial and the pain receptors areintact. On the other hand if the patient does not feel any pain, it indicates that it is a deep burnand the pain receptors have been destroyed. The Quran gives an indication of the existence ofpain receptors in the following verse:

Surely! Those who disbelieved in Our Ayat(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,revelations, etc.) We shall burn them in Fire. As often as their skins are roasted through,We shall change them for other skins that they may taste the punishment. Truly, Allah isEver Most Powerful, All-Wise.[Qur'an 4:56]

Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University inThailand, has spent a great amount of time on research of pain receptors. Initially he could notbelieve that the Quran mentioned this scientific fact 1,400 years ago. He later verified thetranslation of this particular Quranic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so impressed by the scientificaccuracy of the Quranic verse, that at the 8th Saudi Medical Conference held in Riyadh on theScientific Signs of Quran and Sunnah he proclaimed in public: "La Ilaha Ill Allah MuhammadurRasool Allah" [There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger.]


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CONCLUSION

To attribute the presence of scientific facts in the Quran to coincidence would be againstcommon sense and a true scientific approach. The Quran invites all humans to reflect on theCreation of this universe in the verse:

Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day,there are indeed signs for men of understanding.[Qur'an 3:190]

The scientific evidences of the Quran clearly prove its Divine Origin. No human could haveproduced a book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would contain profound scientific facts, to bediscovered by humankind centuries later. The Quran, however, is not a book of Science but abook of Signs. These signs invite Man to realize the purpose of his existence on earth. TheQuran is truly a message from Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. It contains thesame message of the Oneness of God, that was preached by all prophets, right from Adam,Moses, Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon them).

And Allah s.w.t. says in the Qur'an

Soon We shall show them Our signs on the furthest horizons, and in their own souls, untilit becomes manifest to them that this is truth. Is it not enough that your Lord witnesses allthings?[Qur'an 41:53]

Several detailed tomes have been written on the subject of Quran and modern science andfurther research in this field is on. Inshallah, this research will help mankind to come closer to theWord of the Almighty. This booklet contains only a few of the scientific facts present in theQuran. I cannot claim to have done full justice to the subject.

Prof. Tejasen accepted Islam on the strength of just one scientific sign mentioned in the Quran.Some people may require ten signs while some may require hundred signs to be convincedabout the Divine Origin of the Quran. Some would be unwilling to accept the Truth even afterbeing shown a thousand signs. The Quran condemns such a closed mentality in the verse:

Deaf, dumb and blind, they will not return.[Qur'an 2:18]

The Quran contains a complete code of life for the individual and society. Alhamdulillah(Praisebe to Allah), the Quranic way of life is far superior to the isms that man has invented out of

sheer ignorance. Who can give better guidance than the Creator Himself?

I pray that this humble effort is accepted by Allah, to whom I pray for mercy and guidance(Aameen).

Quran and Modern Science (2010 edition)

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Transcript of Quran and Modern Science (2010 edition)